The images were captured about 12 hours after he was in court for earlier acts of vandalism. With the video they expect to build an even stronger case against the teen.

“We know the time, the dates, and we have that all recorded – so when we go into court we can show the judge, or magistrate, what he’s done, Holterhoff said.

Keep Cincinnati Beautiful keeps a database of tags and graffiti all over town to help build cases against vandals and track how much damage they’ve caused. They believe this teen had caused about $5,000 damage before his arrest, and even more damage after.

“When we get to court, we’re going to ask for $20,000 worth of restitution and we’re going to hope to get that,” Holterhoff said.

If this teen wanted attention, he’s getting it now, because earlier misdemeanor charges have been elevated to felony charges.

Asking for restitution is one of the tools to help keep vandals feel the sting of getting caught. Keep Cincinnati Beautiful believes taggers caused about $80,000 in damage last year in the city. Cleaning up or covering over graffiti takes time and materials.

Sometimes that cost is borne by the city, sometimes by business owners.

Two years ago, the Wegman Company was hit by taggers who vandalized their building from one end to the other, two stories high. The building sits along I-75 in the West End, making it very visible.

The company paid about $8,000 to get the graffiti cleaned up. It took three workers two days to clean the brick with special chemicals.

Melissa Wegman, the company vice president, says they bore the cost because they saw it as a matter of civic pride to clean it up quickly.

“We are a big gateway sign into the city, and we take great pride in the city,” Wegman said, “It’s not a way to welcome people into your city with a bunch of graffiti.”

Keep Cincinnati Beautiful is working to educate parents and schools about the warning signs that kids might be causing vandalism, including these tips:

Parents should look for clothing or school supplies with graffiti-style “tags” on them. Watch for paint or marker residue on kids or their clothes.

Excessive amounts of indelible markers or spray paints can also be warning signs, along with latex gloves.

Watch phones, cameras and social media for images that memorialize graffiti, too.

OVERLOOKED... BUT CINCINNATI IS CRACKING DOWN ON GRAFFITI. IN FACT POLICE HAVE BUSTED ONE TEENAGER... WHO THEY SAY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN TAGGING... BUT IF YOU THINK THAT'S SHOCKING... LOOK AT WHAT WLWT NEWS FIVE'S ANDREW SETTERS LEARNED ABOUT THESE CRIMES... (Andrew Setters) ("When you start looking for it, it's pretty easy to find. Graffiti is all over town, especially here in the West End. It's not a crime that's victimless - it costs the city and it costs business owners a lot of money.") ("That's the bottom line - if it's done without permission - it's not art.") YOU CAN SEE GRAFFITI TAGS ON CENTRAL PARKWAY, RIGHT NEXT TO THE PAINT COVERING UP OLDER TAGS. CITY MONEY, YOUR MONEY, PAYS TO CLEAN IT UP. (Linda Holterhoff, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful) ("It's public services that has to take this off - it's your tax dollars at work. And it does take a lot.") KEEP CINCINNATI BEAUTIFUL WORKS WITH THE POLICE AND BUSINESS OWNERS TO TACKLE GRAFFITI, BUT IT'S A NON-STOP FIGHT. CASE IN POINT - THIS SURVEILLANCE VIDEO. THE FOLKS AT KEEP CINCINNATI BEAUTIFUL BELIEVE THIS SHOWS A 17 YEAR-OLD BOY WHO USES THE TAG KONQR (CONQUER) SPRAY PAINTING A WALL. IT WAS RECORDED JUST 12 HOURS AFTER THE BOY WAS IN COURT FOR COMMITTING THE SAME TYPE OF CRIME. IF HE WAS SEEKING ATTENTION - HE'S GOT IT NOW. MISDEMEANOR CHARGES HAVE BEEN ELEVATED TO FELONIES. (Linda Holterhoff, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful) ("We know the time, the dates, and we have that all recorded - so when we go into court we can show the judge, or magistrate, what he's done.") KEEP CINCINNATI BEAUTIFUL TRACKS GRAFFITI ALL OVER TOWN. THEY BELIEVE THE TEEN DID ABOUT 5-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DAMAGE BEFORE HIS ARREST, AND EVEN MORE SINCE. (Linda Holterhoff, Keep Cincinnati Beautiful) ("When we got to court, we're going to ask for 20 thousand dollars' worth of restitution and we're going to hope to get that.") SOMETIMES BUSINESS OWNERS GET STUCK WITH THE BILL. TWO YEARS AGO, TAGGERS HIT THE WEGMAN COMPANY, RIGHT ALONG I-75. (Melissa Wegman, Vice President, Wegman Company) ("We have a building that sits on the front of the highway. We are a big gateway sign into the city, and we take great pride in the city.") MELISSA WEGMAN SAYS THE VANDALS COVERED THE FRONT OF HER BUILDING, FROM END TO END, TWO STORIES HIGH. IN JUST A FEW MINUTES, THEY DID 8-GRAND IN DAMAGE. (Melissa Wegman, Vice President, Wegman Company) ("It's not a way to welcome people into our city, with a bunch of graffiti.") BUT KEEPING IT CLEANED UP, ISN'T EASY. FROM THE WEST END, ANDREW SETTERS, WLWT NEWS FIVE. THE SUSPECTED TEEN TAGGER CAUGHT ON CAMERA.. HAS A COURT DATE NEXT MONTH. FOR A LIST OF WARNING SIGNS YOUR KIDS MIGHT BE INVOLVED IN GRAFFITI AND VANDALISM, CHECK OUT WLWT DOT COM. 15 YEARS AGO TODAY... AN F4